Tank Shopping!

[Tezcatlipoca]

As far as the Vivi Nova it is wonderful also, Its just has a a bit more of a learning curve because its an atomizer. PBusardo also has some good reviews and how to videos on the Vivi nova. It will also be less costly as all you need to do is buy the Nova and some extra heads and fill. There is a breaking in period, as with all attiys. Buy some cheap juice, or some plain Vg and Pg to practice with, it doesnt taste bad, and believe me, when I was learning to work with the Phiniac and the Vivi I wasted about 30-50 mls of juice. But I am clumsy.

Hmmm... I didn't really detect much of a learning curve with Vivi's. Were you using an older version? I've got five of the version 2.5's from Gotvapes and it's been pretty straight-forward for me. I just fill it up to the top of the gauge, wait for a minute or two for the wicks to completely soak, and then vape away. I haven't really noticed much of a change in flavor throughout the course of use, either. The only thing about them is that you have to invert it or twirl it when the juice gets down to the 1/3 mark or so, but I usually just refill it at that point unless I want to vape it dry so I can add a different flavor or do a clean or atty replacement.

 

[anavidfan]

The Vivi seems to be one of those item, that it either works perfect right out of the box or some people can have trouble. I dont know how much experience the OP has, so just thought Id throw that out. I had a great first experience with the Vivi. I followed all the things I saw on reviews and I was lucky to get it working great. I have had some set backs here and there. I did a few simple modifications on the ventilation, etc. There is a bit of a learning curve breaking it in. You are going to get a bit of muting and learning about the silicone cap and some leaking if its not on tight etc, etc. I really love it, especially after doing my own coil and wick.
You do have to remember to do the tip and swish so you dont burn it out or singe your juice. Im sure the Vivi Nova was not your first time at the rodeo of vaping.
It just helped me to find out all the pros and cons of an item before i get it. So many times all you hear is how great something is, then you buy it, and then when you have a set back, then all the negative little details come out.
I have 3 of the 2.0 which is basically the same as the 2.5 except it had the shorter wicks. I did get the original version 1.0 and it was horrible.
I also have the aluminum replacement tanks, 2 black, one green. I have a mess of the clear (3) and 1 of the smokey grey that I dont use (hint hint)

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

Yeah, that makes sense to me. The Vivi 2.5 was my first proper tank, but I had used Vision Clearomizers (Stardusts) quite a bit before making the change, and I guess they work on the same basic principle. So not my first vaping rodeo! And I will admit that out of the five I have going, although they all work to my satisfaction, some of them are better performers than others. At either rate, I bet they'd look great on a Saber Touch, but then again, what wouldn't? I've been doing some pretty serious drooling at the Vapor Moon site, and it's definitely going to be my next major purchase. I've got the colors picked out and everything!

So you're looking to get rid of some extra replacement tanks, eh?

 

[anavidfan]

yes, PM me.

 

[Kropotkin]

Oh, hey - I just realized that there are great posts here I haven't read yet.

Thank you, Anavidfan!

As it happens, I really am baffled by the seemingly universal crappiness of pre-punched cartos (what on earth is up with that?) and your advice comes at the perfect time.

 

[anavidfan]

Pre-punched cartos are not necessarily bad, it depends on your juice. The prepunched holes are usually machine made and very small, which is wonderful for those who prefer higher PG juice which seems to be more popular, so its designed that way. I like heavier Vg so the prepunched holes didint wick well for me. Another fact is that most pre-punched cartos come in the dual coils, which some love and some dont. (I dont)

Have you found any juices yet? That seems to be another sometimes major thing in all this. But it is fun

 

[Tat_skull]

I personaly like the whole "slit" in the carto made with the dremel

 

[anavidfan]

Funny when I first got into the idea of using a carto in a tank, I ordered 5 boxes of them, and waited for my Phinac tank to get here. I took out my dremel set and slit them like I saw the tutorial by PBusardo. I guess I got a bit carried away, made 2 slits on about 4 boxes of them. I made the slits too deep and they flooded if they worked at all.
Since then I havent tried it again.

Im going to give it a try again, Im sure. Im pretty comfortable with the punching, guess im kinda a punchy girl. I also finding the carto punch I got from VIP real nice. It has a great screw made of cobalt and the tip is nicely tapered and really sharp. The little window on the side allows me to make a very precise hole and if it isnt wide enough I can easily slip it back in a take an extra turn. With the siam mod one, it was hard to go back and adjust the hole wtihout messing up the hole. Plus the siam mod screw gets dull faster and was causing my punches to pinch the sides of the carto much more. Here is a link in case anyone is interested, It does cost more, but I think its worth it. The people at VIP are real nice and they actually invented this style of punch and COV copied it.

VIP Vapor Cigs Cigarettes - HOME

 

[Tat_skull]

When I slit the carto(only 1 slit 3 to 4mm's), I use the dremel on low speed and barely touch the carto to keep from going to deep. Make a nice line and you can either stop when you notice the little hole in it appear and pull on it with a dental pick or if you feel comfortable, just keep slicing GENTLY till you see the slit develop. I like the slit method because I have gotten to the point where I can make the slit touching the bottom cap of my M1A1 so I can puff it clear to the bottom

 

[Kropotkin]

Whoa. You guys are terrifically handy and clever. I'm totally impressed!

I just ordered a couple dozen 2.0ohm triple-punched Single Coils from Hoosier, because that's what I've liked best so far, and I'm almost entirely out. And if more than half of these puppies actually worked like they're supposed to, I'd be perfectly happy with this type. It's the prevalence of weird-tasting ones and poorly performing ones and totally dead ones that drives me bananas!

One of these days I'll try punching when I have a spare minute. You guys make it sounds quite doable.

Another question, though, if you have a sec: how long are 18350 batteries supposed to last in the Mini? I've only been getting a couple of hours, and that seems pretty crappy, doesn't it?

 

[Tat_skull]

Whoa. You guys are terrifically handy and clever. I'm totally impressed!

I just ordered a couple dozen 2.0ohm triple-punched Single Coils from Hoosier, because that's what I've liked best so far, and I'm almost entirely out. And if more than half of these puppies actually worked like they're supposed to, I'd be perfectly happy with this type. It's the prevalence of weird-tasting ones and poorly performing ones and totally dead ones that drives me bananas!

One of these days I'll try punching when I have a spare minute. You guys make it sounds quite doable.

Another question, though, if you have a sec: how long are 18350 batteries supposed to last in the Mini? I've only been getting a couple of hours, and that seems pretty crappy, doesn't it?

You shop at one of my favorite stores Kropotkin

Now as for how long the 18350's last in the mini, well it would all depend on various things. First are they IMR or "Protected"? Next would be what brand(beleive it or not, ALOT of manufactures give false mah ratings!!)? Next woud be what ohm atty/carto are you using? And finally, in those couple hours how much are you vaping in mls(I honestly go by ml's over time when it comes to battery life, it's more acurate IMHO)

With that, I'll give you my example. For me an AW IMR 18350 last me about 8 to 9 hours of vape time in my Mini using a 1.8ohm atty. But here's the thing, I only vape 2 to MAYBE 3mls in that time!!

 

[Sir_Lawrence]

IMR batteries, some are, some are not. But that doesn't matter!
IMR batteries use a different chemistry in them that will never explode, or even expand when they get malfunctioned. But they do put out a lot more amps than regular batts do.
AW IMR are about the best. They don't lie about their mAh ratings.

 

[Tat_skull]

AW IMR are about the best. They don't lie about their mAh ratings.

Well said Sir

 

[Kropotkin]

You guys are simply brimming over with awesomeness.



I'm using brand new AW batteries and a brand new Xtar charger labeled for 16350s and 18350s. I'm charging only till the light turns from red to green, which seems to be somewhere between 2 and 3 hours. I've tried charging each battery seperately and both together, and the results are about the same.

I'm using Highbrow juices at 80PG/20VG and Vapor Room juices at 75/25. My cartos are 2.0 ohm Single Coils, and I'd say I'm vaping between 3 and 4mls per day on average.

So these stupid things should be lasting more than two hours, right????

 

[Tat_skull]

With that setup, Indeed, you should be seeing more than a couple hours By any chance, do you have a multimeter? If so, check to see that they are fully charging on your charger. Full charge should be 4.19 to 4.21. If that's what your getting, you could have a couple of defective batts

 

[Kropotkin]

Sadly, I don't have one of those.

Is there any other way to tell?

 

[Tat_skull]

That's the only way I know of

 

[Kropotkin]

I am bummed, Mr. Skull.

But you're awfully nice to try and help.

Have you tried the 16350s? Would it be worth trying those, do you think?

 

[Tat_skull]

I have tried the AW IMR 16340's(and still use them as backups), but unfortunatly, those last less than the AW IMR 18350's. The 16340 has a mah rating of 550, while the 18350 has a mah rating of 700(these are ratings on AW IMR's). So a 150mah difference. I would honestly invest in a MM, Sir_Lawrence has some on his site. Beleive me, they come in very handy for troubleshooting in the world of mods.

 

[Kropotkin]

I suppose I could do that, but, to tell you the truth, I'm getting a bit sick of spending money in what seems like a pointless fashion. Cartos that sort of work; batteries that are not quite useless. To a cheap Yankee farmer, it's positively maddening!

I'm happy to spend extra on good quality stuff, but I don't like throwing good money after bad.